Shacknews is preparing to release its selections for 2015 Game of the Year. Before we get to the staff's selections, Shacknews is taking a look back at the past 12 months in video games, spotlighting a handful of major releases, including a few that readers may perhaps like to include in their own personal GOTY conversations. Next up: February!
While January started the year off slowly, February was surprisingly packed with quality games. Some of them were pretty decent, while others had good ideas that didn't quite live up to their potential. Regardless, February was a busy month with Evolve debuting the 4v1 concept, The Order: 1886 attempting to bring cutscene-style graphics to a full campaign, and the New 3DS XL bringing along a few old classics and some new ideas.
Evolve
Evolve is difficult to discuss, because it's the game that arguably leads the conversation in regards to games that should have been better than they were. Turtle Rock's multiplayer shooter came in with a wonderful premise. Four players teamed up (as they did in Turtle Rock's zombie-shooting classic, Left 4 Dead) to track down a monster, which was also controlled by a player, leading to some intense conflicts.
Unfortunately, the novelty wore off fast and Evolve lobbies soon became deserted. Part of the reason was the inherent issue with the concept. Because the monster was so powerful, playing on a team of Hunters with random online players meant coordination was impossible. Hence, the monster was always at an advantage. A painfully slow progression only made things worse, as did 2K's DLC model, which as of now contains two different Season Passes.
Evolve could have been something special, but too many external factors did it in. Perhaps the 4v1 concept can find new life in the future, but if Turtle Rock does have something to hang its hat on, it's that it at least attempted something new and innovative instead of playing it safe. The gamble simply didn't pay off.
From our review: Overall, it's a bit of a time investment, but after learning the ins-and-outs of hunting, Evolve starts to become a more engaging time-killer. Evacuation is a keen way to mix the game's otherwise uninspired game modes and its solid bot play means that I'll still be able to enjoy it even during down hours. The table for an enjoyable multiplayer session is set, whether jumping in with friends or getting more anti-social and devouring opponents as a lone monster. But considering some of the subpar game modes, I can't help but feel this package could have been something bigger.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
This will be the year that Nintendo decided to try and sell a newer, more powerful iteration of its 3DS handheld and there were two major games leading the charge: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. While much of the attention was lavished on Link, Monster Hunter offered up a lot of what fans of the series had been clamoring for.
There was an abundance of monsters to hunt down, with hunters starting off small before taking on massive quests to take down much larger game. There was no shortage of creatures, nor was there a shortage of weaponry and armor to piece together. And once it was time to head out, there were vast landscapes to explore, all beautifully detailed in impressive fashion, given that Capcom was working with a handheld. While the in-game quests were fine in themselves, Capcom turned the game into a far more massive package through free DLC that would be deployed monthly for the remainder of the year, much of it offering fan service for a number of Capcom series, as well as offering cameos from Nintendo and Square Enix.
While Majora's Mask offered a nostalgia fix, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate quickly became the true showcase title for the New 3DS XL and has arguably retained that spot, given the few games that have truly taken advantage of the new hardware.
From our review: As for the game itself, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is a great addition to the series thanks to its impressive combat mechanics, its highly-detailed and locales, and its ability to be challenging, but not impossible to beat. Even though it still has some aspects I thought could be improved, it's still a game that I ended up enjoying way more than I initially thought I would.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
In its seeming neverending effort to find a suitable game to take advantage of the Wii U GamePad, it turned out that Nintendo had something sitting right in front of it. Why not take the handheld Kirby: Canvas Curse and make a console version? Thus, we got Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and it stands to be one of the more overlooked titles of 2015.
For this effort, Kirby doubled down on the cuteness factor, introducing a new visual style that utilizes modeling clay. That would take Kirby and his new friends across clay-shaped worlds, in which HAL Laboratories got to experiment with different shapes and unique mechanics. All the while, players would help direct Kirby by drawing paths on the Wii U GamePad to help lead him past enemies and towards each stage's goal. While it sounds easy on the surface, the latter half of the game became deceptively devious.
The major issue with Rainbow Curse was that it put a little too much emphasis on the GamePad. In fact, it wasn't so much a two-screen experience as it was practically a GamePad exclusive, but at least it got to show off the merits of off-screen play. Even with that minor nitpick, though, this was definitely a marvelous showcase for the pink puffball and a 2015 Nintendo effort that isn't mentioned in nearly enough conversations when talking about the year the publisher has had.
From our review: Ten years ago, Canvas Curse helped Nintendo explain its handheld oddity better than any press presentation or Q&A session ever could. The gameplay was so intuitive, so immediately familiar and smartly designed, that it went a long way toward convincing me that a touch interface could do more than simple mobile experiences. A decade later, those mechanics work just as well wrapped in a beautiful new presentation, but by its very nature, it feels more at home on a handheld. Just in this case, it's a handheld system that's tethered to your living room console.
The Order: 1886
Ready At Dawn had something truly ambitious lined up for PlayStation 4. The idea was to take away the idea of removing players from gameplay to watch pre-rendered cutscenes. Why not have the cutscenes and the gameplay be the exact same visual quality? The result was The Order: 1886, a shooter featuring steampunk versions of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Visually, it's one of the most stunning efforts to hit the young console so far.
The problem was that producing visuals of such a high fidelity didn't exactly open the door to a lengthy campaign. In fact, The Order clocked in at about five to ten hours and its bombastic visuals meant it wasn't about to be released at anything less than a full $60 price tag. That didn't gel with fans and The Order was quickly dismissed and derided.
However, now that The Order has seen price cuts and sales, it's getting slightly easier to overlook the intended price point and appreciate the game for what it is. Even if the execution didn't turn out to be perfect, Ready At Dawn took a bold shot and came out with a pretty decent story and didn't take any kind of shortcuts by slapping on multiplayer for the sake of having multiplayer. Hopefully, the future will be kinder to Ready At Dawn and the studio will get another chance to grace the gaming world with its talents.
From our review: The Order: 1886 feels like the perfect balance between story, gameplay, and atmosphere as Ready at Dawn has struck gold with its first attempt at an original IP. There may not be much to do after the credits begin to roll, but once they do, you’ll be met with a unique story told within an absolutely gorgeous game.
Quick Hits
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
A true classic in the Legend of Zelda series, in the sense that it retained the mechanics of Ocarina of Time with an entirely new twist to the traditional Zelda formula by only giving Link three days to save the world. It's an oddity in the series, but in the best kind of way. There's a reason this one has cult classic status and Nintendo chose wisely in making it the flagship release to go along with the New 3DS XL.
Apotheon
Debuting on PC and as a PlayStation Plus freebie, Apotheon utilized a unique Greek pottery kind of visual style, but also delivered an amazingly deep 2D Metroidvania experience. The art style lent itself to some incredible level design, with each area reflecting a different Greek god and touching upon different aspects of Greek mythology. Combat was intriguingly complex, with weapon and shield positioning mattering in regards to who lands blows. Those that picked Apotheon up during its debut month on PlayStation Plus got much more than they bargained, with developer Alientrap designing a rich single-player campaign. The studio isn't done yet, either. The PC version of Apotheon recently got an online multiplayer update that will eventually become a standalone title.
Grow Home
With Ubisoft's focus largely on its major franchises, like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, this was a surprise that came out of nowhere. Grow Home would see players guide a small robot through a giant beanstalk, making sure to avoid random pitfalls and unstable areas. BUD's hands are each assigned to a different button/trigger, making climbing feel like more of a manual effort. It's a very short game with little replay value, but carries with it something of a zen sensation in climbing the skies and enjoying the scenery.
Total War: Attila
The latest in the Total War series released in February, with The Creative Assembly taking on Attila the Hun. Not only does it retain the turn-based strategy and tactical battles that the series is known for, but the Huns prove themselves the barbarians they are with the new Horde Mode. This gives players mobile settlements, adding an intriguing new wrinkle to what's been a tried-and-true formula.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse
Alright, so Dragon Ball games have been treading familiar territory for a while now. Xenoverse does aim for innovation in the form of a player-created character. Mixed together with the traditional combo chain system that the Dragon Ball fighting games have been known for, it leads to a competent fighter that should satisfy most DBZ die hards.
Frozen Cortex
It's hard to find good, alternative football games out there, what with Madden's monopoly on the big leagues and all. But no one quite expected to see a take on the gridiron from the makers of Frozen Synapse, using its formula, to boot. Frozen Cortex would see coaches field a team of five robots, delivering five seconds' worth of routes for each team, leading to football that would require more adaptation and strategy. It's a truly novel take on futuristic football and one that proves to be a fine follow-up to Synapse.
Join us at Shacknews as we continue our look through the year 2015, month-by-month. Coming up next, the indies take center stage in a big way.
-
Shacknews
replyOzzie Mejia posted a new article, The Games of 2015 in Review: February
